Wildflower Pilgimage - Salamander Foray Fun For ALL Ages

Great Smoky Mountain National Park - The Mountain Press - Getting wet and muddy almost always appeals to children, but it apparently can also bring out the kid in adults of any age.

The Great Smoky Mountains are known as the "Salamander Capital of the World!" Salamanders are an especially abundant and diverse group in the Great Smokies. In fact, the great majority of vertebrate (backboned) animals, including human visitors, in the park on any given day are salamanders.


This week, "Adults comprised about half of the 25 participants in a Salamander Foray led Tuesday by Carey Jones as part of the Wildflower Pilgrimage, but not one of them shied away from splashing through streams or scrambling around the woods flipping rocks and rolling logs in search of salamanders."

Early in the search, an uncommon Spotted Dusky Salamander was captured by an older woman, who turned out to have a knack for locating the slippery little critters with big eyes and long tails.The little kids also caught their share of the 30 species of salamanders living in the Smokies, including a Southern Red-backed Salamander, a Seal Salamander, and many others.

Many guests at the Bear's Den cabin have reported seeing small salamanders up on the deck near the hot tub or on the front porch "sunning" themselves. They are rather elusive but be patient. They'll often come back day after day, so you'll want to keep your camera ready.

The article Photographing Salamanders by Richard D. Bartlett has some great photography tips and images. Click here for the article.

Click here for the complete Mountain Press story.